Finance Committee advances dozens of bills in marathon April 2 voting session

The Finance Committee convened on Thursday, April 2 for a lengthy voting session and approved a wide package of bills touching health care, insurance, consumer protections and government programs.

Chair opened the meeting and staff walked members through the pink voting list and several blue concurrence items. The committee approved, with amendments and in many cases unanimously, bills that included: establishing a dementia services and brain health program at the Department of Health (HB 446); codifying pregnancy‑related EMTALA provisions into state law (HB 372); authorizing a Medicaid benefit for obesity treatment including GLP‑1 medications beginning Jan. 1, 2027 (HB 813, amended); and changing renewal and supervision rules for a provisional license tied to clinical social work certification (HB 769/SB 18 posture changes).

Staff member summarized the fiscal uncertainty on HB 813, noting the authorization does not compel the Department of Health to provide the medication but that “if it were to be offered to everyone who requested it, the fiscal impact could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” while the bill also authorizes utilization review and other mechanisms to limit uptake. The committee nevertheless moved the measure favorably with amendments.

The committee also addressed public‑health and professional‑practice bills: HB 1135 (and the senate cross‑file SB 773) would authorize pharmacists to order vaccines for people 3 and older without administering them, require pharmacists to inform caregivers when appropriate, and preserve Immunet reporting. Staff explained that current Immunet entries already capture recipient information; the committee removed certain house additions and moved HB 1135 favorably and then acted on the cross‑file concurrence.

Consumer and regulatory measures advanced in the yellow voting list. The committee voted to create a Division of Data Protection in the Attorney General’s office and a Data Privacy Implementation and Innovation Work Group to study implementation issues (SB 564, as amended). It also passed bills strengthening penalties and clarifying definitions for telecommunications infrastructure vandalism (SB 782) and creating a consumer remedy and remediation process for nonconforming agricultural equipment sold on or after Jan. 1, 2026 (SB 849 and related house cross‑file).

Not all items were without dissent. Senator Reedy voted “no” on HB 637 (codifying EMTALA‑style pregnancy protections into state law), arguing the bill “puts special‑interest groups in at the same level as the FDA and federal authority.” Staff disputed that characterization in explaining the bill’s intent and statutory interaction, and the committee nonetheless reported the bill favorably.

Votes at a glance (selected items): • SB 246 — HSCRC term limits/continuation: moved favorably and approved by the committee (motion carried). (timeline: SB 246) • SB 370 / HB 374 — Acupuncture licensing reforms: approved with amendments; committee took the senate and house bills together and voted unanimously. (timeline: SB370_HB374) • HB 372 — EMTALA codification for pregnancy‑related conditions: reported favorably by the Finance Committee. (timeline: HB372) • HB 446 — Dementia services and brain health program: reported favorably (unanimous). (timeline: HB446) • HB 637 — Secretary to publish immunization/screening recommendations: reported favorably; recorded dissent from at least one member (Senator Reedy). (timeline: HB637) • HB 671 — $2,000,000 minimum appropriation for long‑term care ombudsman (beginning FY 2027): reported favorably (no amendments). (timeline: HB671) • HB 769 / SB 18 — Provisional license limits and reporting date adjustments: committee amended the house bill to align with the senate and voted to not concur on the senate cross‑file as amended by the house. (timeline: HB769, SB18_nonconcur) • HB 813 — Medicaid coverage for obesity treatment including GLP‑1s (effective 1/1/2027): moved favorably with amendments after discussion of potential fiscal impact. (timeline: HB813) • HB 1047 — Limited X‑ray machine operator registration: approved (unanimous). (timeline: HB1047) • HB 1135 / SB 773 — Pharmacists authorized to order vaccines for ages 3+: committee struck several house changes, moved HB 1135 favorably with amendment and acted on the senate concurrence accordingly. (timeline: HB1135, SB773_concur) • SB 564 — Office of the Attorney General division for data protection (MODPA implementation): moved favorably as amended. (timeline: SB564) • SB 782 / HB 1100 — Telecommunications infrastructure vandalism and alternative documentation for scrap dealers: moved favorably with sponsor amendments. (timeline: SB782) • SB 849 / HB 1395 — Agricultural equipment consumer protections (applies to sales on or after 1/1/2026): moved favorably. (timeline: SB849) • SB 982 / HB 1616 — Mutual insurance conversion authority: moved favorably (no opposition at hearing). (timeline: SB982) • HB 226 — Department of Disabilities oversight of affordable accessible housing program: moved favorably. (timeline: HB226) • HB 278 / SB 113 — Longevity Ready Maryland plan implementation and concurrence on cross‑file: moved favorably and concurrence approved. (timeline: HB278, SB113_concur) • HB 746 / SB 428 — Collaborative care model coverage and Maryland Health Care Commission study: moved favorably and concurrence approved. (timeline: HB746, SB428_concur) • HB 339 — Anne Arundel pay schedule changes for county inspector: reported favorably (roll call recorded; transcript notes a 9–1 recorded split on related items). (timeline: HB339) • HB 512 — Anne Arundel salary adjustments (technical amendment): reported favorably (transcript records 10–0). (timeline: HB512) • HB 1473 — Establish Maryland’s Future Board (SB 770 cross‑file): moved favorably (unanimous). (timeline: HB1473)

What to expect next: The chair closed the voting session and said the committee will take up a large number of additional bills at the next session on Tuesday. The committee’s actions today included both approvals and a small number of nonconcurrence votes that will affect conference or further floor action.

Quotes from the hearing: “That's voting list number 20 that has my name on it,” the staff member said when introducing the day’s pink sheet and concurrence process. “If it were to be offered to everyone who requested it, the fiscal impact could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” the staff member said when describing fiscal uncertainty tied to the Medicaid obesity treatment authorization. “...one of the problems with this bill is it puts special interest groups in as at the same level as the FDA and federal authority,” Senator Reedy said while explaining his ‘no’ vote on HB 637.

The committee recorded numerous roll calls and unanimous approvals; where roll‑call tallies were voiced in the hearing transcript, those counts are reflected in the committee record and the timeline. The committee adjourned the voting session at the close of the agenda and scheduled further business for Tuesday.